Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (CLP)

Mangaluru, Mar 8: A meeting was called by A B Ibrahim Deputy Commisioner of Dakshina Kannada district to discuss the issues faced by Wenlock hospital mortuary ward regarding the disposal of unidentified bodies and also to discuss the recent claim by the Human Rights Federation of India regarding sale of dead bodies to medical colleges, was held at Wenlock surgeon room on March 7 in the city.

Dr Rajeshwari Devi, medical superintendant of Wenlock Hospital clarified to DC regarding the procedure followed by the hospital, she said, "In case the patient died during the course of medical attention, those bodies will be placed at mortuary.And after three days an advertisement will be given in newspapers and from the available address with the hospital, a letter will be issued to the same. The police help also will be sought to search the family member of the dead person, In case the claim comes to the body by the relatievs, then it will be handed over to them."

 "If the letter returns to the hospital and if no one claims the body, after keeping the body in the mortuary for 15-20 days, with the letter of request from medical colleges with a DD of Rs 10,000, it will be registered on time to time basis, the money collected through this will be deposited to Arogya Rakshya Samithi fund and every year we are submitting the report to the goverment.All procedures regarding the medico-legal cases are followed every time and after all the procedures the body will be handed over to MCC for disposal."

Kolladi Balakrishna Rai from Human Rights Federation of India said, " There are no orphans in india, they may not have the identity, selling dead bodies is agianst the Human Rights, if the demand for the dead bodies increase, the hospitals will become 'dead body production company', we also have the information of the mass burrial by the MCC.It is the duty of the goverment to provide decent burial to the dead. The mortuary of Wenlock is so small that 3 to 4 bodies are kept in one ice box which against the dignity of the human rights." 

A B Ibrahim in reply said, "Every dead body has a right for decent burial. Proper steps have to be taken to provide identification to the body.

Medical colleges in their defence said earlier "We used to get 15 bodies for 150 students for one year, but now the count has come down to 10 for 150 students which is very less, If the students do not learn at the right time, how can they be a good doctors?" 

Various NGO's claimed that they have given decent burrial to all the dead bodies till today, and in future also they will continue to do the same. 

In the conclusion deputy Commisioner gave an order to follow the following guideliness, to make them effective within a week:

 1) Serious efforts have to made to trace the details of the dead body.

2) There has to be newspaper advertisement in the two leading newspapers of Mangaluru along with the photo.

3) The guidelines of Karnataka Anatomy Act, 1957 has to be followed every time.

4) All the NGO's names and MCC burial contractor's names have to be displayed properly in the mortuary.

District health officer Dr HS Shivakumar, deans of medical colleges and various NGO representatives were present at the occasion.